Is this rеаllу okaу?
Zhоu Shаоjin stаred at her hаnd hеld by Chеng Chi, both stаrtlеd аnd dеlightеd.
Stаrtled by Сheng Chi's boldness—what would thеу do if sоmeоnе sаw thеm? Delightеd thаt Сhеng Сhi aсtually liked hеr sо much... hе had even dismissеd the servаnts attending hеr...
Shе stumblеd аlоng, fоllоwing him forward.
Сhеng Chi stоррed аnd smiled аt hеr, waiting for hеr tо steаdy herself bеfore saуing, "Wаs I wаlking toо fast?"
He hаd nеvеr aссоmраniеd anуоne likе this befоre, so аt first, he wаsn't quitе surе how tо gаugе thе pacе.
Zhou Shaojin's facе flushed like a rоsy clоud. Mееting his smiling gazе, she grew flustered and stammered, "N-no, it's not. I was walking too slowly."
Cheng Chi leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Then let's walk at your pace, a little slower..."
His accommodating tone made Zhou Shaojin feel her entire body grow warm.
Cheng Chi watched as her fair neck and ears turned a soft pink.
Especially those ears, delicate and exquisite like seashells, with plump, rounded earlobes that looked as if they were begging to be bitten.
He chuckled inwardly. Nowadays, just seeing her sent his thoughts wandering.
How had he managed to remain so detached before?
It just goes to show—everything depends on meeting the right person!
With a faint smile, he took Zhou Shaojin's hand and walked forward, asking her, "Is there anything you'd like to buy?"
Cheng Chi's large, warm hand was clean and comforting, enveloping hers tightly, like a source of warmth that seeped into her body and muddled her mind. How could she possibly think clearly about what Cheng Chi was saying?
She shook her head, thinking that as long as she could be with Uncle Chi, anywhere would be fine...
Cheng Chi wasn't sure where to take Zhou Shaojin either.
The temple fair didn't have fixed stalls, and he usually didn't attend such events.
After a moment's thought, he stopped with Zhou Shaojin at a small stall surrounded by many girls around her age, only to find it sold glass ornaments. Of course, the quality of the glass was clearly subpar—rejects sold cheaply by silver shops, nowhere near the level of what he had bought for Zhou Shaojin.
So, Cheng Chi led her onward until they came across a stall selling incense. Only two or three people were browsing there, but there were also a few exquisitely crafted incense boxes.
Knowing Zhou Shaojin had always liked such things, he stopped with her in front of the stall and said gently, "See if there's anything you like."
Zhou Shaojin's mind was still hazy. Since Cheng Chi asked her to choose, she stepped forward to examine the incense.
There was a triangular box, delicately made with cloisonné enamel, featuring a blue base adorned with golden lotus patterns. Both the craftsmanship and design were exquisite, and it was quite rare.
Zhou Shaojin glanced at it a few more times.
Cheng Chi pointed to the box and said, "Shopkeeper, wrap this up for us."
The shopkeeper was a young man in his early twenties, short and lean with dark skin. His eyes had been darting toward Zhou Shaojin ever since he saw her. Hearing Cheng Chi's request, he immediately replied, "Right away!" As he deftly took out a paper box to wrap the item, he added with a smile, "You have a good eye, sir. This came from the Western Paradise of Tathagata Buddha. A foreign merchant left it behind at an inn. Ten taels of silver..." At this point, he glanced at Cheng Chi.Cheng Chi knew this item was worth at most three to five taels of silver, but it was rare for Shaojin to take a liking to something. Besides, it was just a small amount of money. Rather than spending time haggling with the vendor, he’d rather take Shaojin to a few more stalls and let her buy more little trinkets she liked. Spending more time with Shaojin… He didn’t bargain with the vendor and simply nodded.
Huaishan appeared out of nowhere and tossed a small piece of silver to the vendor.
Zhou Shaojin was startled and instinctively tried to pull her hand away from Cheng Chi’s grasp.
But Cheng Chi held it even tighter.
Shaojin’s face flushed red as she glanced sideways at Huaishan from the corner of her eye.
But Huaishan had vanished just as suddenly as he had appeared!
She looked up in surprise.
All around were people enjoying the temple fair, and from time to time, someone would glance her way—all with admiring looks—but there was no trace of Huaishan.
In the past, when people looked at her like that, she would always feel afraid.
But with Cheng Chi by her side, she suddenly felt it didn’t matter if people looked at her that way.
After all, they were all strangers who had nothing to do with her.
Even if the sky were to fall, Cheng Chi would be there to hold it up.
Still, she felt a little embarrassed and leaned slightly closer to Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi found this amusing and whispered in her ear, “The people around me aren’t as clueless as the ones around you!”
Shaojin was so flustered she didn’t know what to do. After a long pause, she murmured, “Uncle Chi is talking nonsense. The people around me are good too!”
Cheng Chi laughed heartily.
The vendor’s eyes lit up when he saw the silver, realizing he had encountered a generous customer. His movements became even more nimble than before, and just as Cheng Chi laughed, he finished wrapping the package.
“Here you go, sir,” he said with an eager smile, handing the item to Zhou Shaojin.
But before Shaojin could reach for it, Cheng Chi took it himself. Without calling for anyone, he simply carried it for her.
The vendor’s eyes brightened even more, and he hurriedly said to Shaojin, “Miss, we also have several types of Buddhist incense from the Western Regions here. Would you like to take a look? The incense is very well-made—some smell sweet but not cloying, some are fresh and crisp, and others have a lingering, romantic fragrance. I can tell you’re someone who appreciates incense, and I won’t keep you from browsing. I’ll just take them out for you to smell. Whether you buy or not is up to you—I just wanted to show them to someone who knows their stuff…” Without waiting for Shaojin’s reply, he crouched down and pulled out seven or eight paper boxes from under the stall. “Take a look!”
He was extremely eager.
Shaojin wasn’t very good at refusing others, and since the incense boxes were quite beautiful, she picked one up and smelled it.
The vendor, hoping to close the sale, showered her with compliments: “Miss, you are truly blessed! Is this gentleman your father or your uncle? He treats you so well. He doesn’t even blink when buying things for you. Actually, I have a shop selling incense near Xizhimen Gate called ‘Western Regions Buddhist Incense,’ specializing in goods from the Western Regions. If you have some free time, you should stop by…”
Both Cheng Chi and Zhou Shaojin were taken aback, their expressions turning somewhat awkward.
Shaojin’s mood darkened slightly.
Was the gap between her and Uncle Chi that obvious?
Could even a vendor meeting them for the first time tell they were of different generations?
Cheng Chi, on the other hand, felt rather displeased.
Although Shaojin was delicate and soft, surely he wasn’t so old as to be mistaken for her father, was he?The vendor, observing their expressions, inwardly groaned "Oh no!" and, catching sight of their clasped hands from the corner of his eye, cursed himself for being so foolish. He slapped his own mouth and apologized, "Please don't listen to my nonsense, esteemed customers. It's just that I can't keep my mouth shut, which is why my business is so slow. The young master is as graceful as a jade tree in the wind, and the young lady is as beautiful as one who could make fish sink and geese fall—truly a perfect match. If the young lady weren't still wearing a maiden's hair bun, I would have thought she was this young master's wife! But... the young master and young lady must be nearing their happy occasion, right? I must offer my congratulations! You two are the most well-suited couple I've ever seen..."
The man and woman before him were clearly from a noble and wealthy family. If they weren't about to be married, why would their families allow them to stroll together at the temple fair during the Bathing the Buddha Festival?
The man didn't seem particularly old, just too steady and mature, unlike most young men. The young girl, on the other hand, looked too tender and delicate, appearing quite youthful. And the man was willing to attend to her. They didn't seem like ordinary people, which was why he had misjudged them.
Zhou Shaojin's face, which had just cooled down, flushed bright red again in an instant. She couldn't help but steal a glance at Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi was well aware of such sales tactics, but who doesn't enjoy hearing flattering words?
He snorted inwardly.
If the vendor had said this earlier, they might have considered buying something from him. But now it was too late!
Without even glancing at the vendor, he gently asked Zhou Shaojin, "Have you seen anything you like?"
As Cheng Chi drew near, Zhou Shaojin's heart became a tangled mess; how could she still be in the mood to choose incense?
Seeing her indecisive expression, Cheng Chi knew she was unaccustomed to such marketplaces and even less used to refusing others. So he simply tugged her hand and said, "Then let's continue walking ahead. Perhaps we'll come across something you like."
Zhou Shaojin naturally nodded.
Cheng Chi picked up the incense box and, holding her hand, continued forward.
But Zhou Shaojin could sense that Cheng Chi wasn't as cheerful as before.
Was it because of the vendor's words?
She hadn't expected Uncle Chi to care so much!
He... must have once struggled with their differing statuses, just as she had...
At this thought, her heart softened, as if filled with a pool of spring water—tender and affectionate.
She wanted Cheng Chi to be happy!
She wanted Cheng Chi to be joyful when he was with her!
Just as she felt as lighthearted as holding a little bird in her heart whenever she was with Cheng Chi.
Zhou Shaojin bit her lip repeatedly. Finally, she tugged at Cheng Chi's hand and whispered, "Uncle Chi, I... I'm a little tired..."
She didn't want to stroll around the temple fair anymore.
She was afraid of encountering another vendor like the last one, saying things Uncle Chi didn't want to hear.
Cheng Chi looked down at her light green shoes embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns and silently blamed himself.
Shaojin had been raised deep within the inner chambers; she had probably never walked such a long distance in her life.
He had been too careless.
"Then shall we go sit for a while at the teahouse by the big locust tree?" Cheng Chi suggested to Zhou Shaojin.
But the teahouse would also be crowded with people!
Summoning her courage, Zhou Shaojin said, "Could we go see the Great Xiangguo Temple instead?"
Cheng Chi was quite surprised.
Most of the time, Zhou Shaojin passively accepted his kindness; it was rare for her to take the initiative like this and propose doing something.
This made him feel he wasn't performing a solo act.
There was a joy in being anticipated by someone he cherished."Alright!" he said with a smile, glancing once more at the hem of her skirt. "I'll go call for a sedan chair."
She wasn't that fragile.
Zhou Shaojin blushed and said, "No need! Let's just go together."
Was she really going to Daxiangguo Temple with him to pray?
Cheng Chi's heart began to pound wildly.
So this was how wonderful it felt to be with someone you loved—even the most ordinary things could make your heart race like a drum.
He smiled and took Zhou Shaojin's hand as they walked toward Daxiangguo Temple.
Perhaps because the head monk had given a sermon on Buddhist teachings in the morning, everyone had gone to the temple fair in the afternoon, leaving fewer worshippers at Daxiangguo Temple than usual.
Cheng Chi led Zhou Shaojin to offer incense in the main hall and asked if she wanted to draw a fortune stick.
Zhou Shaojin shook her head.
They were supposed to meet Madam Li by early evening, and she suddenly didn't want to listen to the monks interpreting the fortune sticks—she just wanted to spend a little more time with Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi felt the same way.
Seeing that it was still early, he smiled and said, "Shall we go sit in the back hills for a while?"
※
Dear readers, apologies for the late update.
The downside of writing half a chapter in the morning is that sometimes I'm not satisfied with the plot and have to rewrite, which takes time...
PS: Too many typos—I'm blushing just reading them.
O(∩_∩)O~
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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